Michelle Montgomery’s loved ones say they are nowhere near ready to accept the NYPD’s version of how the 39-year-old ended up dead in a trash compactor at a Brooklyn NYCHA complex. Her remains were found in the compactor room at Borinquen Plaza on Feb. 1. Detectives this month publicly floated what they called a tragic accident as the most likely explanation. Her family is now pushing for clarity on the timeline, what is on the surveillance footage and why a woman who lived miles away would have entered a building where she was not known to stay.
Police outline theory
At a Feb. 13 news conference, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny laid out investigators’ working theory. He said detectives now believe Montgomery may have toppled headfirst into a garbage chute while trying to grab a dropped item, likely her purse, and was then crushed in the compactor. According to investigators, surveillance video shows her entering the Borinquen Plaza building in the early morning hours, and witnesses reported hearing screams from the area of the trash chute. Preliminary autopsy notes and the scene examination led the department to reclassify the case as an accidental death instead of a homicide, according to People.
Family’s account
Montgomery’s partner, Anthony Echevarria, told reporters she walked out of their home on Jan. 31 “vibrant, happy and alive” and said he wants investigators to “find out what really happened,” according to the New York Daily News. Relatives told the outlet the NYPD’s accident scenario does not add up for them and that they want a clearer breakdown of the evidence and the overnight timeline. They have also pointed to a social media video from the night before and a brief FaceTime call as moments that, in their view, need more explanation within the official narrative.
Discovery and scene details
NYCHA workers uncovered a heavy black trash bag in the Borinquen Plaza compactor room at about 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 1 and opened it to find Montgomery’s remains, ABC7 reported. The bag appeared to have already gone through the building’s compactor, and officers at the scene recovered a purse that contained two forms of identification. Authorities initially handled the discovery as suspicious and launched a homicide investigation, but the classification shifted as the inquiry continued.
Family questions inconsistencies
Relatives told the New York Daily News that Montgomery did not live at Borinquen Plaza and that they have no clear answer for why she would have gone into a building where she had no obvious ties. They highlight what they describe as the severity and pattern of her injuries, including multiple punctures and slashes and broken ribs, and point to the tight window between her last known social media post and the surveillance sighting as reasons they are pressing for more detail from investigators. The family also wants to know how building entry and access to the compactor room were managed on the night of Jan. 31.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will make the final call on Montgomery’s cause and manner of death, and police officials say detectives are still reviewing video and speaking with witnesses, according to People. As of the latest updates, no arrests have been made and the investigation remains open. Montgomery’s family has said they will keep pushing for answers as authorities move toward a final ruling…